A tempest in a C-cup

Some suggestions for writing better spoof issues

1. Sexual content isn’t enough

Contrary from what you may have learned from watching your grandfather’s Benny Hill VHS tapes, a reference to sex isn’t a joke in itself. In my limited experience, I’ve found that the sexual act is virtually always hilarious, containing myriad opportunities for fumbles, equipment malfunctions, comic pratfalls, displays of anatomical ignorance, hysterical physical inadequacies, inexplicable crying, and grossly inappropriate remarks. However, merely referring to a sex act isn’t funny, particularly if you’re over twelve years of age and no longer a virgin.

In order for it to be a joke, you have to say something funny about sex, or there has to be something about the context that makes the inclusion of a sexual reference funny. Since about 1972, most university newspapers in Canada have been 20% sexual by word count, so you can’t count on pulling anything off though shock value alone. This is going to require actual cleverness.

2. Sexual humour doesn’t need to be exclusive

Believe it or not, it is possible to make a sex joke that doesn’t involve highlighting the differences between heterosexual men and heterosexual women, or other themes that rely heavily on stereotypes. We’re all human beings and while we experience sex in very different ways, some aspects of sex must be nearly universal, such as the fear of inadequacy, or, for example, losing oneself in the moment, forgetting where you are and shouting instructions in German. That happens to everyone now and then, right?

3. Humour doesn’t actually need to be sexual

Surprisingly, humour that appeals to 20-somethings doesn’t necessarily have to include references to sex. There are plenty of things on your campus that are worthy of being lampooned, and jokes about popular culture (I’m told) are very hip with the kids these days. In fact, the more non-sexual humour you include in a spoof issue, the more the sex humour will stand out and the more likely people will find it funny.

Let’s be honest with ourselves; too much sex humour is like too much porn. Sooner or later the effect wears off and you find yourself paying attention to the plot, which never reflects well on the porn or sex humour.

4. Even humour writers need editing

It’s easy to get lost in your own head while you’re imagining the funniest thing in the world, but it’s important to remember that your readers won’t be able to hear the inflection of the voice in your head, and they won’t necessarily make the same mental associations that you do. Get someone else — preferably someone you don’t know very well — to read everything you write before it goes to print, to make sure that it’s funny to people other than you and your close friends.

Editors: they’re the best!

(Right Carson? Can I have my cheque now?)